Jesus’ use of parables
Throughout his ministry, Jesus often spoke to his audiences in parables that were much like the ones used in the synagogue schools to explore the deeper meanings of Scripture. Jesus’ parables include a wide range of metaphors and comparisons that vary from few words to extended stories. For many listeners, no doubt, the stories were merely stories, but for those in Jesus’ circle they became revelations that pushed them to examine their understanding of God and themselves.
One can perhaps discern the importance of the parables for Jesus by thinking of his treatment of so basic a theme as the ‘kingdom of God.’ So far as the Gospels reveal, Jesus never said in a simple statement exactly what he meant by that all-important phrase. Rather he trusted in a variety of parables to bring his followers to a grasp of what the Kingdom” was and was to be, including the parables recounted in Matthew 13:44-46. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” It is of course beside the point to ask whether the discoverer of the treasure should have notified the owners of its existence. Jesus is not really talking about fields and pearls but of finding a supreme value in life that reverses that past (he sells all) and sets the person on a new course (he buys with joy).
Jesus and His Times. Ed. Kaari Ward et al. Pleasantville: Reader’s Digest Assn., 1987
PRODIGAL SON. A narrative Parable of Jesus (Luke 15:11-32) vividly and dramatically describing repentance. Sincere confession of sins (vs. 18) and return to the Father are essential and concrete expressions of the son’s desire for renewal of life and love (The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Ed. George Arthur Buttrick et al. Nashville: Abingdon, 1989).
Parables: Jesus’ parables were on subjects such as grace, redemption, salvation, Christian conduct, warning, judgment. These memorable parables had direct application to the nation as well as to the individual; they are not only effective concrete illustrations of Jesus’ gospel, but when seen in their order and mounting significance they are also strong links in the chain of his spiritual logic, amplifying his teachings of the Sermon on the Mount (Shotwell, Berenice Myers. Getting Better Acquainted with Your Bible. Kennebunkport:Shadwold, 1972).